RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE
TELNO 2152
HRB 02713
-7 JUNPR RESTRICTED
TO
(AMENDED DISTRIBUTION AM 7/6/88)
FCO
OF 03120OZ JUNE 88
197
P
205
107260
MDHIAN 2294
YOUR TELNO 1422: SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT: PRESS AND PUBLIC REACTION
SUMMARY
1. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG. COMMENTARIES HAVE BEEN GENERALLY POSITIVE TEMPERED WITH HOPE THAT THE CONERN EXPRESSED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO POSITIVE ACTION. PARTICULAR REFERENCE WAS MADE TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND THE BASIC LAW. REACTION FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC WAS ALONG SIMILAR LINES, IF RATHER MUTED.
MEDIA COVERAGE
2. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE VISIT BY BOTH PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON 31 MAY WAS BROADCAST LIVE BY RADIO 1 (CHINESE) AND 3 (ENGLISH), TVB (ENGLISH AND CHINESE) AND ATV (CHINESE): AND BROADCAST LATER BY ATV (ENGLISH) AT PRIME TIME. IT WAS ALSO COVERED BY BBC NEWS. THE FOLLOWING DAYS' NEWSPAPERS ALSO GAVE IT PROMINENT AND EXTENSIVE COVERAGE WITH SOME NEWSPAPERS CARRYING THE FULL TEXT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S REMARKS. A FULL REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE IS
BEING FAXED SEPARATELY.
COMMENTARIES
3. THE GENERAL TONE OF THE COMMENTARIES WAS POSITIVE: BUT THERE WERE ALSO CALLS FOR CONCRETE ACTION ON THE PART OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO RESOLVE HONG KONGS'S PROBLEMS. THE PRESS COMMENTARIES ACKNOWLEDGED THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S PERSONAL SINCERITY BUT DOUBT WAS QUITE WIDELY EXPRESSED AS TO WHETHER BRITAIN COULD OR WOULD ACT DECISIVELY IN HONG KONG'S INTERESTS. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS WAS GENERALLY MORE CRITICAL ON THIS POINT. THE HONG KONG STANDARD'S EDITORIAL WAS SUMMED UP IN THE HEADLINE 'SIR GEOFFREY GETS THE LAST LAUGH AS HE WINGS HIS WAY HOME''
·
PUBLIC REACTION
4. REPORTS FROM DISTRICT LEVEL SHOWS THAT THE PUBLIC WELCOMED
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